Illuminating our World, One Canvas at a Time
(Amatoritsero Ede in conversation with Daniel Richards, Illuminist and Three Dimentionalist)
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Amatoritsero Ede: It is a real pleasure and an honour to have you with us on MTLS. The Illuminist, as an aesthete, is not a totally new figure in visual arts as you suggest in your essay, “Art and the Modern Illuminist.” What are the differences between the old school and a ‘modern illuminist’ like you?
Daniel Richards: Thank you so much for inviting me to your publication. As stated, I am a Modern Illuminist and as such exploit the same techniques as used by the classic illuminists of the past. Artists like Seurat did not have the added advantage of modern science to assist them in their endeavours to control light within their work. During the mid 1800s a movement called Neo-impressionism evolved. Seurat was I believe one of the founding members. They believed that one should not mix their paint prior to its application to the canvas. From this came the technique known as Pointillism. They placed tiny droplets of pigment next to one another in a disciplined manner that imparted a luminous quality to their work. In those days technology did not play any roll in their process but today we have so many new tools at our disposal and far greater knowledge than ever before that allows the Modern Illuminist to push past where they left off. What the neo-impressionists had discovered was actually the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be destroyed nor created but only transferred. By not mixing their paints before hand they were able to use raw physics to develop a visually perceived colour. When colours are placed close to one another they can have a dramatic influence on the final result. Today modern technology and techniques allow us to achieve the same effect but with extremely tiny droplets of pigment that are laid in a random manner called Stochastic Screening. Each droplet sits very close to the next and is comprised of primary colours that modulate one another as they travel through space to our retina. This does not upset the balance found in the first law of physics, as there is no actual mixing of paint or energy consumed. When paint is mixed energy is transferred and the result can be a rather dead looking colour. One of the first rules of painting is NEVER OVER MIX YOUR COLOURS. Any painter has at least once managed to mix brilliant tones of red, yellow and green into a nice dirty brown. I take complete advantage of our new knowledge afforded to me while working at the National Gallery of Canada as a senior division manager for most of my professional career. By introducing a final screening process to my artistic workflow that uses what I call Micro Pointillism, I am able to improve on what the illuminists of the past started. No colour energy is lost through mixing and my colours remain uncannily brilliant and rich not matter what their tone or shade.
A.E.: Are there other Canadian Artists working in this style; what keeps your work apart and gives it that “aesthetic arrest” that hit me when I visited your Ottawa gallery, now moved unfortunately.
D.R.: To be more precise, technology alone and the no mixing of pigments are only part of the story. Creative play of light and shadow has as much to do with my success as does my use of technology. If this were not true then you would see this work everywhere and a lot more people would be experiencing, as you have stated, “aesthetic arrest” more often. I have seen many take advantage of this knowledge and screening process but few in my opinion have ever been able to put enough ‘light’ in their work so as to touch the human soul with just one gaze. The only other person who I know has achieved this in my lifetime is my son, Mark Richards, who is a successful modern illuminist in Whistler BC. He puts into practice all my teaching but has moved my work into a more photographic genre, which is as, or more, effective than what I have achieved myself.
A.E.: In the essay I mentioned above you write: “Perhaps I was an art snob because of my background and was over discriminating on medium, subject or composition.” That is in reference to your ‘Aha moment’ in your growth and progression as an artist. Can you tell us more about that moment?
D.R.: Artists are the most critical people on the planet when it comes to their own work and when they are not easily satisfied they most often end up UNHAPPY. Yes unhappy. You see being a professional artist is not about wanting to be an artist but rather having to be. It is our destiny not our passion. Our passion is creativity and the unfortunate price that comes with this is more sleepless nights than one can imagine. Please do not take this in the wrong way but there is a huge difference between a painter and an artist. By simply going through the motions of creativity using conventional drawing techniques does not mean you are an artist. This is for your viewing public to decide, not you but if you ever wonder how close you are to achieving this status, simply look at how many happy days you have had vs. bad ones and if they outnumber happy by a significant margin, you are mostly likely at least an artist in waiting. There comes a time when failure starts to take its toll on body and mind. To suddenly and accidentally have discovered what I was looking for was a bitter-sweat moment. Clearly it was a gift but did I deserve it? I could not give myself credit for what I had just seen. It was not mine to do. As a result I finally realized my destiny and the vision I would pursue. This is something artists strive all their lives to discover and here I stood before my future. I was humbled, at that moment of self-realization, by the light in my work and by the aesthetic arrest that almost stopped my heart from beating. To this day as I look back I am humbled by what providential design ever bestowed this knowledge upon me. As my grade-6 Art Teacher once said – 1% talent, 99% hard work.
A.E.: Is it not that the quintessential artist is always some kind of snob – even towards his own work, due to a perfectionist streak?
D.R.: I believe that I have answered this question to some degree in the previous answer but its the word, snob, that has caught my attention. I believe the word snob and ignorance go hand in hand. You see scholars have placed art in a rather precarious position. Some believe to appreciate and understand art you need to have achieved a specific point of knowledge or intellect. It is quite the contrary. I have people every day enter my gallery with high-brow ideas of what they think art is and if what I am doing does not adhere to their high-brow definition then it and I are SNUBBED. If it is not oil or acrylic or any of the more classic mediums many will frown on the final work. I love to tell people who only buy acrylic works that the paint is made from old margarine cartons; that both are plastic polymers of sorts: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylic>. My point is simple. Fine art is absolutely no different to music and most of us have accepted this genre in many different forms without question over our lifetime. Some may ignorantly argue that country and western music is not music but we all know it is. Personal taste and dislike and snobbery are not the same. One is based on taste, the other ignorance.
A.E.: How did your early years as a master print maker and photographer influence your later original work as a ‘Modern Illuminist and 3 Dimentionalist,’ with particular reference to what you have called your moment of “aesthetic arrest”? I am assuming there are important connections there.
R.D.: My early years as a printmaker are at the heart of what I achieved but in no way limits me in my many pursuits of unique and different genres. The 3 Dimentionalist aspect of who I am can be seen in all of my 2D work. It is partly responsible for that “aesthetic arrest” you have personally experienced. True 3D as we know it has been around for 150 years. One of my passions in life has been to not only continue the illuminist tradition but to also apply it in cutting edge three-dimensional art using human binocular vision as the main visual cue. Today in theatres we call it Real 3D. In my gallery you can currently experience the true future of fine art with respect to this genre. Several years ago I built what I believe to be the first emulation of what the true future of fine art will be and today you can see both on my wall. I have most recently moved into the genre of the Lenticulist using the latest modern science can offer in natural three dimensional viewing. Next season it will be possible to see cutting edge 3D fine art with no mechanical aid in front of your face in my gallery. It will be as natural as normal vision. All the magic will be in the art itself. People used to ask me how I knew this. My answer was simple, “What else would be worth pursuing?” Right now you can sit in front of a contemporary looking installation comprised of two large images both left and right of a centred first-surface mirror. When viewed from the correct point both images are assembled into a three dimensional image within your visual cortex that defies understanding in its hyper level of reality. If aesthetic arrest was experienced before this, then cardiac arrest might be the next level experience in my gallery.
A.E.: Could you please elaborate a little about your 20-year project on the world’s first 3D Artwork? Can we have a description and when is it going to be launched; where can one view it?
R.D.: The main visionary 3D installation was finished several years ago and sits in my gallery as a permanent work of art. What people think of when they first view it might be described as: ‘Modern Contemporary work of art.’ This 3D piece occupies an entire 10 x 10 foot gallery and stands nearly 7 feet tall. It is the result of half a lifetime of passion and hard work in the field of 3D. One person described it as a time machine. The techniques I developed specifically to create this installation will most likely never be equalled in my lifetime. It took 5 years of research and development just to design and hand build the stereo cameras to create this work. I call this Photo Impressionism, which is a special blend of a painting and a photograph together. It is truly unique and a marvel of binocular vision that does not require any mechanical aid except for one special mirror. Its pure art and technology brought together in a very creative and unusual way. This has been a vision of mine as I have always wanted normal people to see what the future of art might be and what an artist like me, who is afflicted with such passion, sees as he travels through space and time. I wanted to bring viewers of this work to a new and profound level of personal appreciation for what we have been given around us. My latest ventured into Lenticular science will next season bring the future into our lives today. On the wall of this installation are the following words:
Please join me in celebrating human vision with this remarkable modern contemporary immersive 3D work of art. It has the power to make the most hardened soul smile, to uplift you no matter what the shoulder weight and will calm your soul in times of fear. It will raise your spirit and can heal a broken heart. It will energize your being while giving you strength to continue the path you have chosen. It has the power to make you see, not just look, and will tantalize your senses. You will voyage through inner space visually travelling to places unknown that have been ravaged by natures wrath of time. Your heart will beat as you guide your soul ship through worlds of hidden beauty always moving inward. You will realize your place of insignificance in this universe and will find consolation in knowing someone has created this wondrous place of beauty just for you. Too often we think and do not feel but here and now we both bow and kneel.
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